Land Cress

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Flea beetles

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

Shot-holes in seedling leaves, and a beetle that jumps when you lean in.

, Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

.

Attract Ground beetles

Ground beetles

Carabidae

Night-active ground hunters, taking slugs, cutworms and leatherjackets at soil level.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

, Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

to keep them in check — plant LovageExcellent, Common VetchExcellent and Hairy VetchExcellent nearby.

🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

that help control Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

,

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Land Cress outdoors about 4 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 14 days. Grow in partial sun, spaced about 15 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 50 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

• 

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  Missed the spring sowing window? You haven't missed the season. Here are the fast crops you can still grow — and how to stretch the weeks you have left.

  Read the guide

Companion Planting

• 
  Blue Sage
  

  Blue SageExcellent pair

  • ❧Blue Sage attracts Parasitic wasps and Hoverflies, which prey on the Flea beetles and Aphids that attack Land Cress
  • ❧Blue Sage roots deep while Land Cress feeds near the surface — no competition
  • ❧Land Cress acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Blue Sage
• 
  Chaytor's Lavender
  

  Chaytor's LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Chaytor's Lavender attracts Parasitic wasps and Hoverflies, which prey on the Flea beetles and Aphids and more that attack Land Cress
  • ❧Land Cress draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Chaytor's Lavender roots deep while Land Cress feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Cleveland Sage
  

  Cleveland SageExcellent pair

  • ❧Cleveland Sage attracts Parasitic wasps and Hoverflies, which prey on the Flea beetles and Aphids that attack Land Cress
  • ❧Cleveland Sage roots deep while Land Cress feeds near the surface — no competition
  • ❧Land Cress acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Cleveland Sage

How to grow Land Cress

1. Sow-4 weeks from frost
2. Germinates14 days
3. Space15 cm apart
4. GrowPartial sun
5. Harvest~50 days

Water: Medium · Height: 30 cm · Soil: Moist, fertile, well-draining